Fractionating condenser



Aug. 6, 1929; D T. WILLiAMS.

FRACTIONATING' CQNDENSER Original Filed D66. 26, 1924 Patented Aug. 6, 1929.

UNITED, STATES DAVID E. WILLIAMS, PATERSON, NEW JERSEY FRACTIONATING CONDENSER.

Application filed December 26, 1924, Serial No. 758,039. Renewed January 2, 1929.

vapors of a givenboilin'g pointlto condense with vapors of diiferent boiling points may 7 be minimized.

ill

A preferred embodiment of the invention selected for purposes of illustration is shown in the'accompanying drawing, in which,

'The figure is a sem'iediagrammati'c longitudinal section through the condenser.

' Referring to the drawing, an outeizshell or casing 1 is providedwhich is supplied with inlet and outlet openings 2 and 3 re spectively. The casing isprovided with a plurality of longitudinal partitions 4 having openings 5 therethrough for the passage of vapors, the openings of alternate partitions being arranged at the top and bottom of the casing in order that the vapors in passing through the condenser from the in let 2 to the outlet 3 may follow an elongated circuitous path. I

The top and bottom of the casing are provided with headers 6 and 7 which are divided by the partitons 8 and 9 respectively into a plurality of smaller chambers, the partitions 8 and 9 being arranged in such V manner that the chambers at the top of the casing are in staggered relation to those at the bottom of the casing. Alternate top and bottom chambers are connected. by means of a plurality of tubes 10 which may be; provided in any number, depending on the cooling surface desired.

The header 7 is provided with an inlet opening 11 and an outlet opening 12. The cooling medium, which may com'prise any suitable fluid, enters .the chamber 7 and passes upwardly through the tubes 10 to the chamber 6 and thence downwardly through the tubes 10 to the chamber 7" and so on through the circuitous path provided until the outlet 12 is reached which may be located in either the top or bottom header as dictated by constructional requirements. It will be observed that the path of the cooling medium is a circuitous path following in general the circuitous path taken by the vapors to be condensed except that the flow of vapors is in a direction opposite to that of the cooling medium. As will be ap parent, the coolest portion of the condenser will be adjacent the vapor outlet 3 and the point of maximum heat will be adjacent the vapor inlet 2, while intermediate degrees of temperature, will be maintained therebetween. -As a specific example, the temperature of the incoming cooling medium may be approximately 70 degrees while the temperature at which it leaves the condenser may approximate 400 degrees. Thus the intermediate portions of the condenser would be maintained at temperatures between these two limits.

Between the inlet opening 2 and the outlet opening 3 and arranged at points having difterentv intermediate temperatures as set forth above are the inletopenings 15 and 16 which are used in a manner described hereinafter.

At the bottom of each of the sections'of the condenser isarranged an outlet opening 17 through which the condensed liquid may escape for collection.

The apparatus described is adapted to be used in connection with distillation appa ratus in which a plurality of cuts or fractions are obtained simultaneously. It has been common practice heretofore to either condense each of these fractions separately in a separate condenseror'to run them together through a. single inlet into a frictionating condenser'in which they were separated as they were condensed.

According to the present invention it is proposed to introduce vapors of different cuts at different points of the same condenser,

and to introduce a vapor of high boiling point at a relatively hot portion of the condenser and to introduce vapors of lower b011- ing points at points oflower temperature.

Thus, in the present apparatus the third cut vapors, being of relatively high boiling point, are introduced through the inlet 2 to. the warmer part of. the condenser while the second cut vapors" being of somewhat lower boiling point are introduced through the inlet 15 into a zone of somewhat lower temperature. Similarly the first cut vapors being of still lower boiling point are introduced into a zone of still lower temperature.

By this means it is found that greater con densing efiiciency is obtained in each of the mil sections of the condenser in that vapors having a relatively narrow range of boiling pomts are admitted to each section, and

danger of contamination of distillate of one cut by vapors of other cuts is thereby minimiz ed At the same-time the expense of separate condensers for each cut is eliminated.

It will be apparent that while in the embodiment of the invention illustrated only three vapor inlets are shown, the number may be increased as particular operating conditions may warrant.

It is to be understood that the invention having a plurality of inlets at points of different temperature for vapors of different boiling points.

3. .A fractionating condenser in which progressivelyv varying temperatures are maintained in the cooling medium, having a plurality of inlets at points of different temperature for vapors of different boiling points, whereby high boiling point vapors may be introduced at a point at which a high temperature is maintained, and progressively lower boiling point vapors may be introduced at points at which progressively lower temperatures are maintained.

4. A vfractionating condenser having an elongated conduit for vapors to be condensed, a coextensive conduit for a cooling medium associated therewith, said conduits having inlet and outlet openings arranged to provide a flow of cooling medium in a direction opposite to the direction of flow of vapors, said vapor conduit being provided at intervals with inlet openings for vapors of difi'erent boiling points.

5. The method of fractionally condensing a'plurality of vapor streams, each of different average boiling point, which comprises introducing said vapor streams simultaneously into a single condenser stream at intervals therealong, said single stream being maintained at progressively lower temperatures from the first inlet to the outlet openmg.

6. The method of fractionally condensing a plurality of vaport streams, each of difierent average boiling point, which comprises introducing said vapor streams simultaneously into a single vapor stream maintained 'at progressively lower temperatures from one end to the other at points having temperatures substantially proportional to the average boiling point of each vapor stream.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification this 23rd day of December, 1924.

I DAVID T. WILLIAMS. 

